“Midnight Magic” by 38 Special

Formed as a Southern rock back in the 1970s, 38 Special is best known for their early 80s guitar-driven hits “Hold On Loosely” and “Caught Up In You”. By the mid-80s, the band had incorporated more keyboards into their sound, culminating with their biggest hit, “Second Chance”, which went all the way to #6 on the Billboard Top 100.

“Second Chance” marked a huge comeback for the band, but the 1988 record from which it came, “Rock & Roll Strategy”, topped out at #61 on the album chart – making it their worst performing album since their 1977 debut.  Interestingly, the lead off single (the title track) and the follow up single, “Comin’ Down Tonight”, both stalled at the same position (#67) on the charts.

Going back to this fine record, it is hard to figure out why it didn't perform better. Maybe they just didn’t release the right singles. There are some excellent deep tracks on “Rock & Roll Strategy” for fans of 80s melodic rock. One of my favorites is “Midnight Magic”, a sappy but sweet mid-tempo love song with an irresistible chorus.

The 1991 follow-up record was “Bone Against Steel”, which featured a top 40 hit in “The Sound Of Your Voice”, yet this album fared even worse, stalling at #170.

Some fun trivia:  What long-time collaborator helped write several of 38 Special’s biggest hits, including “Caught Up In You”, “Hold On Loosely”, “Rockin’ Into The Night”, and “The Sound Of Your Voice”? Hint: He was co-founder of another very successful melodic rock act in the 80s whose two biggest hits were written for movies.

The answer is here.

Some more 38 Special trivia:  Can you guess the two backing vocalists on the chorus of “Tear It Up” from “Bone Against Steel”? Hint: These two might be good “company” at “night”.

Answer 1.

Answer 2.